Wilko launches new service to rival Ikea, B&Q and Wickes – it’s perfect for DIY fans
WILKO has launched a new service that’s perfect for DIY fans and will no doubt rival big chains like Ikea.
The bargain chain has unveiled its first-ever kitchen collection, featuring a selection of affordable designs you can install yourself.
The retailer said it hopes it will help homeowners cut the cost of designing and installing their dream kitchen.
Collections come in six specific styles, which can all be customised.
Wilko said the collection offers cost-conscious consumers a quick, easy and affordable way to upgrade their kitchen.
Shoppers can redesign and create their entire kitchen, choosing everything from units and worktops to lighting and splashbacks available online.
The kitchen collection includes pre-inserted cams and dowels which removes the need to hire a fitter.
Plus each cabinet uses 18mm melamine-faced chipboard to ensure “durability and longevity”.
The starting prices for the Wilko kitchen units are £2,051 for the Matt Shaker style and up to £2,874 starting price for the J Pull Matt.
You can view the entire Wilko kitchen collection is available to shop now at wilko.com.
Not only that but between now and May 25, Wilko is offering up to 15% off its kitchen furniture, worktops, sinks and taps.
The move will rival big-name brands also known for kitchen collections, such as Ikea, B&Q and Wickes.
What else is happening at Wilko?
The new range comes as Wilko has been building out its DIY categories.
Last month it saw the introduction of a tool and equipment hire service called wilkohire.
The retailer has also recently re-launched its free, click-and-collect service.
It means shoppers can choose from over 30,000 products and pick up their wilko.com orders from over 200 locations.
Items ordered through the service will be available to collect with as little as two hours notice.
Customers will be able to collect their shopping from the ever-growing number of reopened Wilko stores and from over 200 collection points at The Range.
Having successfully completed concept store trials in Exeter, Luton and Plymouth, Wilko has continued its store roll-out programme with recent launches in St Albans and Rotherham.
More store openings are planned throughout the remainder of 2024.
The chains making a comeback
M&Co fell into administration for the second time in two years in December 2022.
M&Co’s brand and intellectual property were sold to Yours Clothing.
In June last year, the brand announced that it is planning to open 50 physical M&Co stores over the next two years in a surprise turnaround.
The stores were set to open in autumn but were delayed.
Recently, the chain confirmed its first store will be opening in May 2024.
Elsewhere, Made.com has also made a comeback after it was rescued from administration by fashion giant Next.
Made, which employed around 600 people, sold its brand, website, and intellectual property to the clothing and homewares retailer.
It stopped taking online orders and shut its high street showroom in London.
Now, Made.com has opened its first brick-and-mortar store since being acquired.
The new 4,000 sq ft store opened last year on Vulcan Road, Sheffield, with products having previously only been available to buy online.
Paperchase has also returned to shops after closing all 134 stores earlier this year.
OTHER HIGH STREET NEWS
Several major retailers are also expanding their presence on UK high streets.
Aldi has announced that it will open 35 new UK stores.
The openings form part of Aldi‘s long-term target of 1,500 stores in the UK.
The supermarket is set to invest £550million in expanding its UK footprint this year alone.
Aldi said that each new store opening will create around 40 new jobs on average.
Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores in recent months as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
B&M plans to open “not less than” 45 brand new stores across the UK in each of the next two consecutive years.
The parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
It has yet to give the exact locations where it will open the 100 stores or when they will open.
One of the UK’s favourite bakery chain, Greggs, has exclusively revealed to The Sun plans to open more outlet branches by the end of 2025.
Home Bargains, which was running just under 600 branches as of last June, has said it wants to “eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open”.
The major discounter has stopped short of saying when it wants to reach the 1,000 store target however.
Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand’s national presence.
The brand opened two new stores in March, and a further three new shops will open this month.
Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
Retailers closing stores in 2024
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:
- Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
- B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
- Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
- Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
- Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
- Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
- Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
- M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
- Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
- WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.
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